Tell us a little about yourself?
I was born and raised in North Dakota and am happily married with six children. I am a certified interior designer in the state of Minnesota and worked in the architecture/interior design field for 14 years. I was laid off when the housing/building market came to a grinding halt. I also happened to be pregnant with our sixth child so it didn’t make a lot of sense to pursue another position at the time.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration originally came from the sheep we raise and my children and the interaction between them, but has branched out to many other areas as well. Now when I look around I am always looking for new scenes or objects that would make good paper cuts! The world is full of inspiration!
Who or what has been most influential in your craft?
Well I have my art teacher from college to thank for introducing me to paper cutting years ago. Recently I have my family and close friends to thank for their encouragement and feedback. Joe Bagely and other members of the Guild of American Papercutters have been inspirational and a wealth of technical information.
What does handmade mean to you?
Something handmade by me means – uniquely designed and very carefully created by my own hands out of the best materials I can find.
I was born and raised in North Dakota and am happily married with six children. I am a certified interior designer in the state of Minnesota and worked in the architecture/interior design field for 14 years. I was laid off when the housing/building market came to a grinding halt. I also happened to be pregnant with our sixth child so it didn’t make a lot of sense to pursue another position at the time.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration originally came from the sheep we raise and my children and the interaction between them, but has branched out to many other areas as well. Now when I look around I am always looking for new scenes or objects that would make good paper cuts! The world is full of inspiration!
Who or what has been most influential in your craft?
Well I have my art teacher from college to thank for introducing me to paper cutting years ago. Recently I have my family and close friends to thank for their encouragement and feedback. Joe Bagely and other members of the Guild of American Papercutters have been inspirational and a wealth of technical information.
What does handmade mean to you?
Something handmade by me means – uniquely designed and very carefully created by my own hands out of the best materials I can find.
When did you know you were an artist?
I have always been a creative person. As a child I loved drawing and sewing. I took that talent and used it for interior design. This took up most of my creative energy so I didn’t do much in the artistic realm beyond this. When I was no longer doing this on a regular basis I needed something else to focus on. My children found my art portfolio from college and stumbled across a paper cut I did in an art class. They were fascinated by it. My husband made a comment that got the ball rolling. . .” Now that is something you don’t see every day! You could sell those.” I gave it a try again and was hooked! Now I have to tell myself to stop some days so I can get other things done. When I reached that point I knew that I was an artist.
How would you describe your creative process?
I am always looking for new ideas everywhere I go. I try to stay focused on one idea at a time, but often have several projects in progress at any given time. I start by looking at pictures I’ve taken or ones given to me by others to use. I print them off in black and white; then I partially trace and modify/sketch to get the pattern that I want to cut. Depending on what paper I am using I will either glue to back (with a repositionable glue) or tape with a weak tape to the paper to be cut. I use an xacto type knife and self-healing mat to cut the image. When done I glue it to a piece of art or illustration board.
How do you get out of your creative ruts?
I find a new subject to make a quick paper cut out of before tackling bigger more time consuming projects if I am not feeling motivated. So far I can only recall one day of really being in a rut. Usually my problem is staying focused on one item – there are so many I want to do!
What made you decide to start selling on etsy?
While researching the market for paper cuts, I came across several paper cut artists who sold their work on etsy. I was impressed with their work and it was obvious that they were able to sell on etsy. I checked out all the information for sellers and decided to give it a try.
What makes your items “unique”?
I create all of my own patterns and have from day one. I like to challenge myself to make the images realistic, detailed and artistic.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Most people who don’t know me are surprised to hear I am a mother of six children.
Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible and why?
Probably fly – I love seeing things from the bird’s eye view.
Visit AmyBirnbaum:
Etsy Shop - www.etsy.com/shop/AmyBirnbaum
Those papercuts are really neat! I love the one of the sheep. :) Great interview, Amy - and Lily!
ReplyDeleteSimply fabulous work! Great to get a chance to see what makes a fellow artist tick!
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